Passenger-car.



H1 ROWNTREE.

PASSENGER CAR.

APPLICATION 111.50 SEPT-291 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

Patented May 23 3 iii dwvemtoi H. ROWNTREE.

PASSENGER CAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-29. 1,9! 1.

Patented May 2 3, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- THE coLummA PLANOGRAPH co. WASHINGTON. n. a

HAROLD ROWN'TREE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL PNEUMATIC COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION .OF WEST VIRGINIA.

PASSENGER-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD Rownrnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Passenger-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to passenger cars.

The object of the invention is to simplify and improve the construction and arrangement of passenger cars, to facilitate the entrance and exit of passengers, and to avoid accidents to passengers while boarding or alighting from the car. 7

A further object is to provide a construction which is equally well adapted for use as a fare prepayment car whether the car stops to take on or let oil passengers onthe near side or on the far side of a crossing street, with the fare prepayment end of the car nearest the street crossing.

A further. object is to increase the seating capacity of cars of the fare prepayment type and whetherused as a near side or a far side car.

Other objects of the invention will ap pear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and arrangement, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, and to the various views thereon- Figure 1 is a broken View in horizontal longitudinal section showing one of the vestibuled or platform ends of a passenger car, and the application thereto of features embodying the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the car with the front wall or dash of the vestibule or platform removed, and parts in vertical transverse section. Figs. 3, 4: and 5, are details of a dividing rail attachment employed in connection with my invention. Fig. 6 is a floor plan of a car embodying my invention.

The same part is designated by the same reference sign wherever it occurs throughout the several views. I

In some localities the requirements and regulations for the operation of streetcars provide for the stoppage of the cars on the near side of a crossing or intersecting street to take on or let off passengers. In other localities the cars are required to stop on the far side of the intersecting street, while in still other localities the same cars are required to stop on the near side in certain portions of the city and also on the far side in certain other portions of the city. In the application of the fare prepayment or pay-at-entrance arrangement to a near side car a different condition is encountered from that in the case of a far side car. Thus, in the caseof a near side car it may be desirable to have passengers enter and leave the car by way of the front end of the car, using the rear end of the car only for emergency exit of passengers. Otherwise passengers are required to board and to alight from the car some considerable distance away from the street crossing, where, frequently, the condition of the street, by reason of mud, dirt, rain, or other cause, renders boarding and alighting at such a distance as the length of the car from the street crossing very objectionable. By employing the front end of the car in the case of a near side fare prepayment or pay-atentrance car, for the entrance and exit of passengers, the collection of fares, and the control of the platform or vestibule side doors, both the motor-man and the conductor are stationed at the front end of the car where the duties required may bedivided between them, while the rear end of the car is closed against use except for emergency purposes. Such an arrangement necessitates a special construction of car which can only be used as a near side car. On the other hand, by employing'the rear end of the'car, in the case of a far side fare prepayment or pay-at-entrance car, for the entrance and exit of passengers, the station of themotorman is at one end of the car and that of the conductor at the other end of the car where his duties of collecting fares, issuing change or transfers, controlling the doors, supervising the boarding and alighting of passengers and passing the signals to the motor-man, are frequently too exacting and onerous to secure efficient service. Moreover a far side car requires a special construction and arrangement which permits its use only as a far side car. It is among the special purposes of my present invention to provide a construction and arrangement of passenger car which can be used equally as a near side or a far side car wherein provision is made for fare prepayment at whichever end of the car passengers enter and the entrance and exit of passengers is facilitated and the platform side doors are controlled according to the.

well known pay-within tvpe of cars.

In the drawing, 10 designates the body of the car, 11 the usual longitudinal side seats and 12, the transverse bulkhead which divides the car body from the platform or vestibule. It is immaterial whether or not this transverse bulkhead 12, contains doors. I have shown the bulkhead'without transverse doors. The platform floor is designated by reference sign 13, and is provided with the usual side doors 14:, and steps 15,

on each side thereof. The steps 15, may

- tical rock shaft 16, by rocking which the door Fig. 1, I have shown the door on one side of the platform as being closed, and that on the other side as being open.

Rising from the floor of the platform near the edge of each side doorwayare standards 17, 18, 19. The standards 17 and 19 are respectively arranged at the sides of the doorway, while the standards 18 are preferably arranged at approximately the mid-width of the doorway openlngs and serving to separate the same into separate passenger entrance and exit passages. I

In order to secure a desirable height of car body and still employ only one side step leading to and from the platform, without excessive height of said step, I prefer to,

drop the platform floor down one step belowthe level of the floor of the car body. The step-down from the car body floor to the floor of the platform isshown at 20, and the edges thereof extend from; opposite sides of the car body in intersecting lines somewhat diagonally across-the platform, meeting or intersecting each other at a point approximately at the mid-Widthv of the platform, thereby forming in effect, a

triangular shaped extension 21, of the floor,

of the car body which projects-outwardly from the end of the car body and onto the platform. The conductors station is located panels are operated. In the drawing,

on this raised extension 21, and, if desired,

astandard or bracket 22, may be located extension 21, to'afl'ord a back rest for the conductor.

From his station on the raised extens1on 21, the conductor controls the side doors on one side of the platformthrough a control handle 23, carried by a shaft which is mounted in a stand 24:, and having suitable connections, indicated by dotted lines at 25, with the door operating shafts 16, whereby the door sections are moved. to their open and closed positions. The doors on the opposite side of the platform are controlled through suitable connections indicated by dotted lines at-26, from an operating or control handle 27 which is located on the end or dash of the car in convenient reach from the car controller 70, for the motorman to manipulate the same.

When the car is in operation as a near side car the conductor and the motorman are both stationed at the front end of the car, thatis, on the front platform, and, since the construction and arrangement is the same at both ends of the car it is immaterial which end of the car is the front end.

is, on the rear platform, in this case, re.- main closed exceptfor emergency use. At the front or operating end ofthe. car the motorman controls theside doors on one side of the platformby suitablymanipu- The'doors at the rear end of the car, that lating the control handle 27. This he can do without: leaving his station at the car controller 70. The doors on the other side of the same platform remain closed. Thus the control of the doors is under the supervision of the motorman, leaving the. conductor free to-attend to the collection of fares ofentering passengers, making change, issuing transfers, calling out the streets and such other duties as may be assigned to him, but relieving him of the necessity of opening or closing the doors. Thus the duties .and responsibilities of the conductor and motorman are more evenly divided than heretofore and safety'of operation is increased. All passengers enter and leave through the front vestibule and platform, separate entrance and exit passages being provided by the standard 18 in the doorway, and the conductors control and rest stands, 24, 22. If, the car is to be operated as a far side car thenthe motorman is at the front ,end of the car where he can control the doors on.one side of the front he, can control the doors on one side of the 1' platform from his control handle 27, as

rear platform from his control handle 23, as entrance and exit doors, the other side doors on the rear platform remaining closed. In this case the car is operated as a straight pay-within car.

If desired, and in order to define a more definite demarcation between the separate entrance and exit passages across the platform whether in the case of a near side or a .far side operation thereof, than that afforded by the standards 18, 24 and 22, a dividing railing 28 may be arranged to extend from the control stand 24, to the central doorway standard 18, on one side or the other of the platform 13, according to whether the car is used as a near side or a far side car. By making this dividing rail reversible, that is, the mere rocking it from one side of the platform to the other, as shown in full and dotted lines in Fig. 1 is all the change of arrangement required to convert the car from a near side to a far side car. As shown in full lines in Fig. 1 the rail is in position to form a near side car. The dotted line position is that required for the same end of the car to be used as a far side car. To enable the rail to rock from one position to another it is connected atone end by a swivel joint, indicated at 29, Fig. 3, to the standard 24, while the other end carries a spring pressed bolt 30, adapted to engage the standard 18, to lock said rail in position for use.

If desired, and in order to increase the seating capacity of the car, I provide an auxiliary seat section 31 for'each side of each platform. Each seat section is carried by brackets 32, which are mounted to slide upon the vertical standards 17, 18, 19. When an auxiliaryseat section 31, is required for use it is lowered into the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, for the sleeves of brackets 32. to rest upon the floor 13 of the platform. W'hen the auxiliary seat section is not required for use it is raised up to the ceiling of the vestibule, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and there retained in place by any suitable retaining device indicated at 34. Vhen the car is operated as a near side car then the auxiliary seats 31, on the rear platform may be lowered into position for use, thereby increasing the seating capacity of the car, while at the same time, if desired, the auxiliary seat section on the closed side of the platform at the front end of the car might also be lowered for use, the other auxiliary seat section at the front end of the car being raised and retained in elevated position. WVhen the car is used as a far side or straight pay-within car then the auxiliary seat sections may all be raised out of position for use, or else only those seat sections on the sides of the platforms which are required for the entry and exit of passengers may be so raised, the

others remaining lowered into position for use.

It will be observed that the arrangement is the same at both ends of the car except that the platform side doors which are controlled from the front dash board by the motorman at one end of the car are on the opposite side of the car with reference to those at the other end of the car. The same relation applies also to the doors which are operated from the central control stands 24.

It is obvious that many variations and changes in the details of construction and arrangement may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having now set forth the object and nature of my invention, and a construction and arrangement embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new and useful, and of my own invention, and desire to se cure by Letters Patent, is

1. A convertible near side and far side car comprising a car body having end platforms, doors for each side of each platform, the door on one side of each platform being controlled from a point at the end of the platform, and the door on the other side of the same platform being controlled from a point adjacent the middle of the platform, and a removable seat for each platform.

2. A convertible near side and far side carcomprising a car body having end platforms, doors for each side of'each platform, means located adjacent the end of each platform for controlling the movements of the door on one side thereof. means located at a point adjacent the middle of each platform for controlling the movements of the doors on the other side thereof, and a removable seat arranged in front of a platform door.

3. A convertible near side and far side car comprising a car body having a platform at each end, the platforms having doors at each side thereof, the doors on one side being controlled from the end dash of the platform, and those on the other side being controlled from a point adjacent the middle of the platform, and removable seats for the sides of each platform.

4. A car having an end platform, side doors therefor, means located on the end dash of the platform for moving the doors on one side of the platform, means located at a point adjacent the middle of the platform for moving the doors on the other side of the platform, and removable seats for the platform doorways.

5. A car having an end platform, side entrance and exit doors on both sides of the platform, means located on the end dash of the platform for moving the doors on one side of the platform, means located at a point adjacent the middle of the platform for moving the doors on the other side of the platform, and removable seats for each doorway.

6. A car having an end platform, side doorways and doors therefor, vertical standards arranged at each doorway, means located on the end-dash of the platform for moving the doors on one side of the platform, means located at'a point adjacent the middle of the platform for moving the doors on the other side of the platform, and auxiliary seat sections mounted to slide vertically on said standards.

7 ..A car having doorways at each side of the end thereof, movable doors for each doorway, a vertical standard arranged at the mid-width of each doorway opening, means located on the end dashof the car for moving the doors on one side of the car, and means arranged inside of the doorway on the other side of the car,;but removed from the doorway, for moving the doors on that side of the car. I

8. The car having doorways at each side of the ends thereof, movable doors for each doorway, means located on the end dash of the car, at one end thereof, for moving the doors on one side of the car, at the same end therewith, means located on the, end dash of the other end of the car for moving the doors on the diagonally opposite side of said end of the car, means arranged inside of the other doorways at each end of the car, but removed therefrom, for moving the other doors at the ends of the car, and a removable seat for the doorways.

9. A car having an end platform, side doorways therefor, movable doors for said doorways, a vertical standard at the midwidth point of each doorway, a standard adjacent the mid-point of the transverse width of the platform, means located at the dash of the platform for moving the doors on one side thereof, and means located at the platform mid-point standard for operating the doors on the other side of the platorm.

10. A car having side doorways on opposite sides of each end thereof, movable doors for said doorways, means located at each end of the car, and at a point to divide the entry way from each side doorway into the body of the car into separate passages, for operating the doors on one side of the car adjacent thereto, means located on the end dash of the car at the same end thereof, for operating the doors on the other side, and removable seats for the doorways.

11. A car having doorways at each side of the end thereof, movable doors for said doorways, a vertical side standard at the mid-widthpoint of 'each doorway, an inner standard at approximately the mid-width point between said first mentioned standards, a movable railing connected'at one end to said last mentioned standard, its other end adapted to be moved into engagement with the one or the other of said side standards, means located at the mid-width inner point standard for moving the doors on one side, and means located on the end dash of the car for moving the doors on the other side. o

12. A car having side doorways at the end thereof, movable doors therefor, means for operating said doors, a side standard located in the middle of each doorway, an i inner standard located to divide the entry from each side doorway into the car into separate passages, a railing pivotally connected at one end of said dividing standard, the other end of said railing being adapted to be swung into engagement with the one or the other of said side standards, and a removable seat for each side doorway.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of the subscribing witnesses, on this 25th day of September HAROLD ROWNTREE, Witnesses:

FRANK JOHNSON, LEMUEnM. SHIELDS, HARRY ELLIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for fve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

' 7 Washington, D. C. 

